Bolt of Silence
Weapon (bolt), common
This magic bolt is much-prized by those seeking to move about unheard. Tipped with a glyph-graven head, when fired the bolt creates a bubble of magical silence within a 20-foot-radius sphere. Any creature or object entirely inside the sphere is immune to thunder damage, and creatures are deafened while entirely inside it. Casting a spell that includes a verbal component is impossible there. This effect lasts for 1 minute.
The Book of the Void
Wondrous item, very rare
This translation of a Librarian text tells of the outer reaches of the cosmos and the unplumbed dimensions of invisible space that suffuse all reality – a tale of cosmic outside and cosmic inside. Anyone reading the book must pass a Charisma saving throw of DC 20 to avoid becoming depressed and disturbed by the nihilistic implications of the tome’s multi-layered and profoundly pointless ontology, gaining a level of exhaustion and permanently losing 1 point of Charisma. Those who fail by more than 5 also suffer 14 (4d6) force damage as small voids blossom across their bodies, leaving clean, painless holes; these holes can only be closed through magic and the damage cannot be healed magically. Those who succeed on the save may use the text to glean knowledge of its spells, which can be copied into a wizard’s book or absorbed into a sorcerer’s mind: Antilife Shell, Blink, Confusion, Feeblemind, Mind Blank, True Seeing. If the reader spends 48 hours over a period of 6 days or fewer studying the book, their Wisdom score increases by 2, as does their maximum for that score, but they permanently lose 2 points of Constitution as their dreams become preoccupied with thoughts of oblivion, planets plunging into vortices of absolute night, countless lives being extinguished over the slow march of aeons, and weird, polyp-like beings invisibly drifting through the air, just out of sight.
Bottled Darkness
Wondrous item, common
This carefully conjured and stored magical darkness can be released from its bottle as per the spell darkness, though it dissipates after 1 minute. Even creatures with darkvision cannot see through the darkness, and nonmagical light can’t illuminate it. The bottle can also be thrown to release its darkness upon shattering. The darkness cannot be re-bottled.
Bottled Ocean
Wondrous item, legendary
This small bottle looks at first to be nothing more than a bottle of water, but on closer inspection, one can see within it not just water but tides, clouds, rain, and even tiny islands suspended on the surface. The bottle contains an entire ocean; if opened and poured, it functions similarly to a Decanter of Endless Water, but always as a salt-water geyser. It also continues in this fashion until stoppered, which requires a DC 20 Strength check. Various aquatic animals emerge from the bottle (1% chance each turn), and there is an entire archipelago of small islands which eventually emerge as well, growing in size as they exit the bottle (roughly 1/day for the 7 days it takes to produce the entire ocean).
Catoblepas Hide Vest
Wondrous item, uncommon
This vest of toughened catoblepas hide acts as a suit of +1 hide armour which also grants its wearer advantage on saving throws against petrification.
Censer of Peace
Wondrous item, rare
When incense is burned in this censer, no direct violence can be performed by all those who smell the incense, within a 3o-foot radius of the censer. This effect lasts for 1 minute and cannot be used again until the next dawn.
Charlatan’s Coin
Wondrous item, common
Though to be made by the same wizard who created the Cheater’s Purse, the Charlatan’s Coin has a simple ability – although a perfectly balanced coin, if tossed, it always lands in the favour of its owner.
Cheater’s Purse
Wondrous item, uncommon
This simple purse has a buckle etched with the Sylvan symbol for wealth. The purse always contains 50 gold pieces whenever opened – the same 50 gold pieces. If used to pay someone, the gold remains with them until the purse is opened again, at which point the coins vanish and reappear in the purse.
The Eternal Page-Turner
Wondrous item, legendary
The cursed tome known as The Eternal Page-Turner is an incredibly compelling novel that continues forever, seemingly generating new pages as they are turned without ever growing thicker. Anyone who begins reading the book must pass a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw or become addicted to it. They must now read the book for 1 hour per day for every point they failed by, with a new save every day. If they fail to complete their reading, they begin suffering from exhaustion as if they were beginning to die of thirst, which can only be relieved by reading the proscribed amount. Once a character is “hooked,” only three successful saves in a row or Remove Curse will cure them. The Eternal Page-Turner has a rich and compelling story, and reading it is not without reward. It tells the tale of a hero being reborn again and again throughout time and space, battling cosmic evil in each lifetime. The book has no formal title and seems to begin in media res. For every 24 hours of the book completed, a reader gains 100 XP, to a maximum of 10,000 XP.
Doppelgänger Poppet
Wondrous item, rare
The Doppelgänger Poppet appears as totally featureless until a drop of someone’s blood is “fed” into its mouth. At this point, it assumes the shape of the person whose blood it was fed, and speaks, moves (walking in place), and otherwise acts precisely as that person currently is. If wounded with a knife or otherwise damaged, drowned, etc, the person who the Poppet is mimicking receives a Wisdom saving throw to avoid 1d4 necrotic damage to the afflicted area and the poisoned condition for 1 hour; if the attacker has Sneak Attack, they also deal additional damage accordingly. If the target passes their save, the link is broken, and the Poppet can no longer assume their form, even if more of their blood is fed to the doll.
Fangs of Retching
Wondrous item, uncommon
This necklace consists of thirteen rat’s teeth on a simple cord. If swallowed, one of the teeth deals 1d4 damage to the swallower, but also allows the swallower to vomit forth a swarm of rats that obeys the swallower’s commands until destroyed.
Footpad’s Cowl
Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)
While you wear this cloak with its hood up, Wisdom (Perception) checks made to see you have disadvantage, and you have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide. Pulling the hood up or down requires an action. In addition, someone who spots you when wearing the footpad’s cowl will forget that they saw you if you pass out of their sight for 1 minute.
Gargoyle Lamp
Wondrous Item, rare
When lit and used to illuminate a statue that statue becomes temporarily lively enough to answer simple questions posed to it about what it may have seen over the years (provided the statue has a mouth). Statues enlivened in this way can lie if they wish – they are not compelled to answer truthfully. Each use of the Lamp rapidly burns a pint of lamp oil.
Gloves of Thief’s Sight
Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)
When worn and pressed against a solid surface, these gloves see through this surface. The vision can penetrate 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, or up to 3 feet of wood or dirt. Thicker substances block the vision, as does a thin sheet of lead. The gloves do not provide darkvision. If used continuously for more than 1 minute, the gloves require a DC 15 Constitution saving throw to avoid a level of exhaustion.
Gnomish Slivermine
Clockwork, uncommon
These fiendish clockwork devices are built by unscrupulous gnomes in Mainspring and elsewhere. Armed slivermines are triggered if touched or even if a loud noise or something disturbs their delicate mechanism. They release a whirl of wicked little blades that embed themselves in those nearby. Each creature within 5 feet of a discharged slivermine must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or take 3d6 piercing damage, or half that on a successful save. Slivermines can also be rigged with a timer to be thrown like grenades using an action, at a target within 60 feet. Once the mine is used, it cannot be reset.
Gorgon Bomb
Wondrous item, uncommon
When thrown, this small grenade bursts open and releases a concentrated blast of petrifying vapour. Anyone within a 15-foot-radius sphere must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, they begin to turn to stone and are restrained. Restrained targets must repeat the saving throw at the end of their next turn. On a success, the effect ends on the target. On a failure, the target is petrified until freed by the Greater Restoration spell or other magic.
Hand of Glory
Wondrous item, uncommon
This pickled left hand was taken from the wrist of a hanged man. It clutches in its cadaverous grip a tallow candle made from the fat of a condemned criminal. These sinister hands are often made illegally by Reanimators in Shambleside. Burglars favour them, since when the candle is lighted those bathed in its glow can be stricken immobile, making them an excellent means of pacifying angry guards or police. The Hand of Glory, when lit, requires all those not carrying it within 30 feet of the light (including allies) to make a Wisdom saving throw of DC 12 or be paralyzed for 1 turn for each point they failed. Those with eye protection will have advantage on the roll and those immune to being blinded need not save. Using the Hand of Glory in this way burns through the magic in the candle, but a new candle can be purchased for 100 gp.
The Head of Granny Midnight
Wondrous item, legendary
This shrunken head has long, black hair and bluish flesh. If a name is whispered into the hag’s ear, the witch attunes to them, and speaks whenever they speak. While so synched, the target suffers from nightmare haunting, with dreadful visions, reducing its hit point maximum by 5 (1d10) and preventing restful sleep. If this effect reduces the target’s hit points to 0, it dies. The head can be reattuned as desired.
The History of Hex
Wondrous item, rare
This heavy brown book appears to be a history of Hex. However, even cursory reading of the text reveals a very different history than that familiar to inhabitants of this reality. The text describes the opening of the Gate of Horn and Ivory in the Dreamer’s Quarter and an invasion of nightmares, captained by a brutal entity called Phobetor and its army of “Oneiroi,” daemons of terror and madness. A series of hideous wars – the Phantasm War, the War of Slumber, the Somnambulist’s War – fundamentally transform the city, which eventually becomes split into two halves – one controlled by Phobetor, and one by the magi of Hex.
This book can have a strange effect on the reader. As they read, they must pass a DC 10 Constitution saving throw and a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw. If they fail the Constitution saving throw, their body begins to change, becoming the body of their equivalent in the reality described in the tome: scars appear, strange magical tattoos blossom under skin, and they gain +2 Constitution. If the saving throw was failed by 5 or more, the creature sustains 14 (4d6) force damage as wounds inflicted by nightmare-creatures manifest. If they fail their Wisdom saving throw, they gain memories and experiences that grant them +2 Wisdom; if they fail by 5 or more, their mind becomes entirely that of their equivalent in the reality described in the tome. Constitution and Wisdom score maximums also increase by 2. Readers may voluntarily fail these saves; they should still roll, but if they pass the saves, they can choose to accrue the bonuses and have their body or mind partially rewritten while avoiding the effects of failing by 5 or more.
Lawbreaker’s Mask
Wondrous item, legendary
This twisted, colourful mask is sacred to cults worshipping the Antinomian, trickster-god of primordial chaos. When worn by a non-Chaotic creature, the creature must pass a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw to immediately remove the mask or else become Chaotic in alignment while the mask is worn. The character will not willingly remove the mask once the save is failed. A Chaotic creature can wear the mask with no ill effect. In addition to the alignment-switching properties the mask makes it difficult for someone to describe the individual. Anyone attempting to recall specifics of the individual’s dress, build, posture, voice, etcetera must pass a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw to be able to do so. Otherwise, they can offer only vague, meaningless descriptions.
Libro-Cupiditas
Wondrous item, legendary
The Libro-Cupiditas is heavy; its gaudy cover is made from gold dragon-scales, its title spelled out with rubies, its pages have gilded edges, and its letters glitter, the ink itself containing tiny diamonds. The book is an exhaustive set of instructions for the making, keeping, and enlarging of wealth, but also elucidates a series of mystic rites for wealth-generation. Anyone who reads it will find themselves not only more financially literate but possessed of fabulous luck when it comes to matters pecuniary. For a period of one year, they have advantage on any skill check directly related to money-making, including gambling; if they re-read the Libro, this good fortune is renewed.
The rites of wealth-generation are complex, take 48 hours to complete, and include the following:
- Swallow a gemstone worth at least 1,000 gp
- Bathe in the blood of the poor
- Drink a tincture with powdered gold worth 500 gp, along with the hair of the wealthiest person in a 1000-mile radius
- Flay off the face of an aristocrat and wear it as a mask
- Make a paste from the bones of a banker and smear it on your skin
If these instructions are carried out and the celebrant passes a DC 10 Intelligence (Arcana) check to recite the correct incantations, their good fortune becomes truly astonishing. For one year, they gain a +1 bonus on ability checks and saving throws, and when they roll a 1 on the d20 for an Attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, they can reroll the die (though they must use the new roll). In addition, through some combination of random coincidence, fortuitous investment, savvy business decisions, sudden inheritance, or similar happenstance, they will acquire 2,000 gp per week for one year. If someone who completed the rite is imprisoned or something similar, they will literally vomit up golden coins and gemstones. The ritual can be repeated annually.
Massacre Flute
Wondrous item, rare
This flute is carved from a human femur and bears unusual, abstract etchings. When played it grants advantage on Performance checks, gracing its player with natural skill. However, anyone listening to the music created by the flute must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw of DC equal to the Performance check. If they fail, they fly into a murderous ecstasy and begin maniacally engaging in acts of unspeakable violence against all those near. Crowds can become truly horrifying under the flute’s influence. This effect lasts until the performance stops.
Music Box of Animation
Wondrous item, rare
The Music Box of Animation plays a spirited little tune when wound. Upon playing, the box brings to life all inanimate objects fashioned by intelligent beings within 50 feet while the song plays similarly to the spell Animate Objects. Such objects are not controlled by the owner of the Music Box and may act erratically, according to the nature their form suggests. Tools may become resentful of their masters, weapons enraged and aggressive; clothes may constrict or fly off; torches may flare or gutter; coins struggle mightily in purses to return to the earth, their mother. This can cause utter calamity in cities or other spaces with large numbers of inanimate objects. Shutting the music box does not immediately end the effect, which continues for 1 turn. The box has a minute’s worth of music per day, after which time it refuses to open till a day has passed.
Perfect Portrait
Wondrous item, rare
The Perfect Portrait appears to be an idealized portrait of whoever is observing it. No two observers see the same portrait. The style of the portrait varies with the aesthetic tastes of the observer. Studying the portrait boosts the confidence of any observer. Studying the portrait for at least 10 minutes privately grants a character advantage on all Charisma checks for 24 hours, but also requires them to make a Wisdom saving throw of DC 10. On a failure, the individual is switched with the version of themselves trapped in the painting, a version identical to them but with 20 Charisma and an Evil alignment. In the moment of transfer the Perfect Portrait ceases to function as such and instead becomes a portrait of the trapped character. The idealized version can still be played by the character but will always attempt to hide the Perfect Portrait to conceal their ruse; if the Perfect Portrait is destroyed, the idealized version will die, and the trapped character will be restored.
Persuasive Polemic
Wondrous item, rare
The Persuasive Polemic, a slender crimson volume, contains several pages of handwriting in different hands, followed by a series of blank pages. The written pages include eloquent philosophical arguments in favour of the divine right of kings and radical communitarianism, and a religious text effusively espousing the virtues of worshipping the Magistra, goddess of order, magic, and reason. Several other pages have clearly been removed. The Polemic’s magical functions become evident when someone writes in its pages. The text acts to reconfigure the words being written, actually moving the hand holding a quill or pen, such that the writer expresses their ideas not just as clearly as possible but as persuasively as possible. Logical fallacies are impossible to commit to paper, and problems with an argument are artfully evaded, obscured, or minimized. The result is an incredibly erudite and compelling case for whatever position is being argued. If someone is attempting to change someone’s mind using arguments pre-written in the Polemic, they have advantage on any Persuasion checks.
Pocket-watch of Time Dilation
Wondrous item, very rare
This ornate pocket-watch can be wound two ways. The clockwise function causes the winder to disappear from time and reappear up to minute in the future. The counter-clockwise function allows the winder to shift back up to 1 minute in time; only the winder retains any memory of the time deleted in this way. The pocket-watch can be used once per day safely. If used more than once per day, roll 1d12. On a 1, the pocket-watch breaks. It can be repaired but only at great cost (1000 gp) at the hands of an experienced artificer. In addition, anyone who uses the pocket-watch more than once per day must pass a DC 20 Constitution saving throw or suffer from a temporal side-effect, which disappears after a successful long rest:
| Roll (1d6) | Temporal Side Effect |
| 1 | Degeneration: The character begins to “regress” into a previous evolutionary state – so, humans become more ape-like, Lengians more arachnoid, waspkin more insectile, ghouls more canine, etc. While precise adjustments may vary this typically engenders an adjustment of -1 to Intelligence and Charisma and +1 to Strength and Constitution. Each day the character must save again or regress further down the evolutionary tree. A successful save halts the process. |
| 2 | Bodily Deterioration: The character begins to exhibit unwholesome physical changes: fingernails suddenly growing or falling out, extra teeth growing or developing caries, bald patches, uneven accelerated aging, nosebleeds, and similar symptoms. The character suffers -1 to all physical ability scores. |
| 3 | Mental Deterioration: The characters’ experience has unhinged them subtly. The character begins suffering from terrible headaches, disturbed sleep, and even hallucinations. The character has disadvantage on all mental ability scores for 24 hours, after which they can save again to reverse the effects. If this save fails, the character develops some form of indefinite madness. |
| 4 | Visions of the Past: The character has become slightly unstuck in time and now perceives brief glimmers of the past wherever they go, resulting in a blur of translucent, flickering bodies and objects. While this “ability” allows the character a brief peek into the past, it is also incredibly disorienting. The character has disadvantage on any roll relying on sight, such as attack rolls, and can no longer effectively take the dodge action. |
| 5 | Nightmares of the Future: The character suffers from hideous visions of an awful, nightmarish future – a world of apocalyptic landscapes, mass starvation, horrific crimes, and tenebrous beings devouring or absorbing all those they encounter. The character can no longer benefit from a long rest unless they pass a Wisdom saving throw (DC 20). |
| 6 | Mindswap: The character’s mind has been seized by an alien entity from a different time. Their alignment changes to true neutral, their mental ability scores change to 18, they lose all existing class levels, and they gain 1d20 wizard levels. The player may continue playing the character if desired but should be encouraged to alter their behaviour to reflect their new consciousness, gathering information on their “new” time period. |
Poems for the Apocalypse
Wondrous item, very rare
This slim, unorthodox spellbook has incantations disguised as poems describing a series of cataclysmic events, titled “The Sundering,” “They Wept Crimson Tears,” “And Then the Heavens Parted,” “Fire Games,” “Chitinous Desolation,” “From the Outer Void,” “Hatred of the Sky,” and “The Sea, Our Devouring Mother.” The book contains the following spells, rendered in such a way that a wizard may copy them into their spellbook: Earthquake, Contagion, Control Weather, Fire Storm, Insect Plague, Meteor Swarm, Storm of Vengeance, Tsunami. In addition, the spells can be recited out loud by a trained bard, requiring a Performance check with a DC of 10 + the spell level. On a success, the spell is cast, but the poem disappears from the text. On a failure, roll on the scroll mishap table; the poem is also destroyed in this instance.
Robe of the Python
Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)
This loose robe is fashioned from snakeskin. While wearing the robe you may speak with snakes as per the spell Speak with Animals. You also gain +1 natural armour. Once per day you can also use the cloak to cast Polymorph on yourself and transform into a constrictor; you retain your Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. If as a constrictor you eat any creature, you must pass a DC 5 Charisma saving throw or be trapped in snake-form permanently, until someone uses remove curse or similar magic to reverse the spell.
Robe of Rats
Wondrous item, very rare
This ugly, rat-eaten brown robe looks like a monk’s garb. Although it appears to offer magical defense against unholy magic, in fact the item is cursed. Upon being donned the wearer becomes intensely attractive to rats. All rats within a 500-foot radius converge on the wearer, swarming up into the robe. Functionally, this conjures a swarm of rats every 1 minute until the DM deems the local rat population depleted or until the wearer is devoured by the rats. Clever robe-wearers will realize that they can lead rat-swarms around using the robe, potentially even forcing them into deadly situations. If someone wearing a holy symbol of Mordiggia dons the robe, then it instead grants them the ability to speak with rats, who will no longer be hostile to the wearer but who will consider them holy figures, worthy of reverence and even obedience with a little persuasion.
Sanguineous Stone
Wondrous item, legendary
This large, reddish-black stone permanently transmutes any liquid it touches to blood. This includes poisons and potions, although magical liquids have a 50% chance of resisting transmutation. Transmutation occurs rapidly, beginning with 5 cubic feet of liquid but expanding quickly. If immersed in an ocean or river an entire waterway can be contaminated over a period of times – days or weeks for a river, months for an ocean. If the Sanguineous Stone is removed the transformation halts but does not revert.
Shadow Oil
Potion, rare
This tenebrous oil is harvested from atramentals, the same strange shadow elementals whose milk is used to create the drug known as shadowmilk. The oil can cover a Medium or smaller creature, along with the equipment it’s wearing and carrying (one additional vial is required for each size category above Medium). Applying the oil takes 10 minutes. The affected creature then gains the effect of the Etherealness spell for 1 hour.
Skeleton Idol
Wondrous item, uncommon
This idol depicts a macabre Angel of Death, complete with bony wings and a horrific grin upon a gaunt, near-fleshless visage. This idol, if prayed to by a cleric and anointed with fresh blood, allows the cleric to temporarily replace one of their usual domains with the Death domain. This ability lasts until the cleric prays to their usual deity. If they pray to the Skeleton Idol more than three times in a row, their previous deity forsakes them and they become a cleric of the Angel of Death – they will be visited by a vision of the Angel in a nightmare, who will inform them of their new allegiance. In addition to these effects, anyone who simply carries the idol on their person gains advantage on death saving throws.
Sword of Judgment
Weapon, rare (requires attunement by a lawful creature)
The sword is useless against all lawful creatures and will not hew their flesh, while against chaotic creatures it acts as a +2 greatsword. Any creature who wields the sword cannot tell lies and gains disadvantage on Deception checks. Chaotic creatures wielding the sword suffer 1 fire damage per turn as it burns them.
Tongue of Dead Speech
Wondrous item, rare
This embalmed human tongue, when placed in the mouth of a corpse in place of the corpse’s tongue, endows the corpse with the capacity to speak as per the spell Speak with Dead. While a corpse so-implanted may answer any number of questions rather than those usually afforded by the spell, it may also be highly reluctant to give up the Tongue. Unless a corpse is carefully negotiated-with, anyone attempting to remove the Tongue of Deadspeech with their hands will be subject to an attack roll with +2 to hit dealing 1d4 damage; unless the remover is wearing a gauntlet or similar armour, one of their fingers will be removed for every point of damage dealt. Destroying a head containing the Tongue of Deadspeech usually destroys the Tongue as well.
The Ultimate Tragedy
Wondrous item, legendary
This book has a dour cover in the least favourite colour of the one who looks upon it. Within is written a tragic play, but each reader will perceive different characters and a different plot, seemingly calculated to make them as sad as possible. One reader may discover an intense religious play, a meditation on suffering, sin, and damnation; another may find a taut domestic drama climaxing in brutal patricide (or matricide, or infanticide, or whatever other form of death the reader finds saddest); another an epic about the horror and meaninglessness of war; or any other number of variations.
If anyone reads their version of The Ultimate Tragedy from start to finish (a process taking 3 hours) they must pass a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw or be plunged into existential despair for 1d10 days. If they succeed on this save, however, the catharsis they experience is sufficient to grant them a level of experience. They also become somewhat numbed to mundane examples of suffering.
If someone copies out their version of the play and mounts a production, the resulting performance will not change in the way the book version changes, though audience members will remember subtly different lines that will seem especially sad – if they even live to survive the play, as all audience members watching a performance of any version of The Ultimate Tragedy must pass a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw or else be overcome with horror and sadness, committing suicide by any means possible after the play ends. Alternatively, for campaigns that wish to avoid depictions of suicide, the audience may lapse into a state of depressed catatonia for 1d100 days.
Those who succeed on the saving throw gain a level and 1 point of Wisdom as their souls are ennobled by the experience. Audience-members who survive such a performance will often become tight-knit, recognizing in one another a shared trauma. They will often be inspired to perform acts of charity.
Vermin Drums
Wondrous item, uncommon
This pair of drums is made from two bisected human skulls whose open tops are covered in flayed human skin. When beaten, the drums cause worms and creeping vermin of all kinds to writhe forth from bare earth, or else from manhole covers, holes in a wall, or some other place where bugs might nest. This summons a swarm of insects (drummer’s choice) under the drummer’s control. The ability can be used once per day.
Zombie Paddles
Wondrous item, rare
These glyph-engraved wooden crosses, created by the renegade reanimator known as the Marionettist, can be used to cast the spell Command at will but is only effective against zombies. Once per day, it can be used to cast the spell Animate Dead to produce zombies, and also grants control over an additional two zombies.
